Apparatus for supplying water to steam-boilers.



Patented lan. I4, IQIUZ.

No. 690,94l.

H.' A. FLEUSS. APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING WATER TD STEAM BOILERS. (Application mea May 1o, 1901.) (No Model.)

U E T may 'JNE NoHmsyz-IERS c0.T FHQTGMTHOT. WASHINGTON. u. c, 1

lllnrrrnn diurne Parent @erica HENRY ALBERT FLEUSS, OF STAINES, ENGLAND.

itppiR/lff'USV FOR SUPPLYENG WATER TO STEAMs-BOILERS.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,941, dated January 14, 1902.

Application tiled May 10,1901. Serial No. 59,633. (No modelo T0 @ZZ whom zit may concern:

Be it known that LHENRY `ALBERT FLEUss, engineer, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at The Priory, Knowle Green, Staines, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Supplying Water to Steam-Boilers, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to that class of feed-water-supply apparatus in which a cavity in a continuously-revolving or endwisemoving plug or plunger is first brought into communication with a water-supply chamber to be filled with water and is afterward brought into communication with a chamber which is in connection with the interior of the boiler, the cavity at this time being on the level at which the water-level in the boiler is to be maintained, so that if the water-level in the boiler is up to or above the cavity no water is delivered from the cavity to the boiler, but is delivered into the boiler if the water-level is below the cavity. One difficulty when the feed apparatus has been outside the boiler has been to avoid all leakage of steam from the one chamber to the other. If there be any leakage of steam, however small, the Water-level in the chamber of the feed apparatus which is in connection with the boiler becomes higher than the waterlevel in the boiler. Consequently the waterlevel in the boiler gets too low. To remedy this, I so construct the feed apparatus that the water in the feed-water-supply chamber is maintained at a pressure approximately the same as or somewhat above the pressure in the boiler, whatever this pressure may be. In this Way all tendency for fluid to leak from one chamber to the other is practically avoided.

My improvements are illustrated in the drawings annexed.

Figure l is a diagram View of a steam-boiler supplied with feed-water by feed-water-supply apparatus arranged in the above Way. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the water-supply 'chamber and the chamber Which is in connection with the boiler. Fig. 3 is a similar view of4 a modification in which the plug or plunger Works horizontally in place of vertically. Fig. ft shows another modification,

in which a revolving plugl instead of an endway-reciprocating one is employed. Fig. 5 shows another modication, in which the revolving plug is set horizontally in place 0f vertically. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a steam-loaded valve by which excess of Water delivered by the feed-pump can pass away.

In Fig. l, a represents a steam-boiler; b, an inclosed chamber, the upper part of which is by a pipe b connected With the steamspace of the boiler and its lower part connected by a pipe b2 with the lower part of the boiler below the water-level. c is anotherinclosed chamber supplied with water under pressure. d is a plug or plunger extending through both chambers. c is a force-pump for forcing water through a pipe fand past a non-return valve in a casing g into the chamber c. The delivery of water by this pump is arranged to be somewhat in excess of the amount required forfeeding the boiler. The non-return valve stops water from being forced back from the chamber c at times when the pump e is not working. h is a branch pipe leading from the pipefto a chamber c', containing a valve loaded approximately to the same pressure as the pressure in the boiler and past which all excess of Water delivered by the force-pump beyond what is required for supplying the boiler escapes and passes back by the pipe 2 to the feed-water-supply tank 7c.

In Fig. 2 the chambers l) and c are shown in section on a larger scale. The parts are marked with the same letters of reference as in Fig. l. The plunger d has formed in it a hollow cavity CZ, (shown in dotted lines,) and slots (Z2 are formed through the sides of the plunger, opening into this cavity. A to-andfro endWay-reciprocating movement is given continuously to the plunger to bring the slots d2 alternately into the positions shown in full and dotted lines. l/Vhen they are in the dotted position, the cavity fills with Water, and when in the lower position the cavity empties if the water-level is below the slots. b3 is a packed gland at the bottom of the chamber h, and c/ a packed gland at the top 0f the chamber c. Z is a tube fitting around the plunger d. Its upper end is held by aspring m against the under side of the division-plate which' separates the chamber l) from the cham- ZOO ber c. The lower end of the spring restsupon a ring n, which holds the packing in the gland b3 in compression.

In Fig. 33 the parts are marked with the same letters of reference. lVhen the plunger is arranged to Work horizontally, as in this figure, the hollow cavity d may, as indicated, be made of greater length relatively to the length of the slots d2.

In Figs. 4t and 5 the continuously-revolving plug o, which serves the same purpose as the endway-reciprocating plunger dof Figs. 2 and 3, has cut in it cavities p, which serve the samepurposeasthecavitycl. Thetwochambers b and c are on opposite sides of the fixed shell r of the cock, and this shell/ has two ports formed throughit, one opening into the chamber b and the other into the chamber c. As the plug 0 revolves the cavities p, formed in it, are thus alternately put into communication with the chambers b and c.

The Way in which the excess-water-escape valve is arranged to be kept closed unless the water delivered by the feed-pump is at a pressure approximately lthe same as or exceeding that in the boiler is shown in Fig. 6. The valveshasrestinguponitaplungert. Steam from the boiler passes to the top of the plunger bya pipe u and forces it downward onto the Valve. The plunger is also in addition forced downward by a light spring i; to compensate for any friction there may be on the plunger, and also to keep the valve closed even when there is no pressure in the boiler. The delivery of water by the force-pump e I arrange, as above stated, to be somewhatin excess of the amount required for feeding the boiler and the excess has to escape past the valve s. Consequently the pressure of water in the chamber cmust always be approximately equal to or slightly greater than the pressure in the boiler, whether this pressure be high or low. The pressures in the chambers b and c being thus kept approximately equal, it is easy to avoid any leakage from one to the other, and thus the apparatus is rendered perfectly reliable in its working.

It is not absolutely essential that the reliefvalve s should be kept closed by the pressure of steam from the boiler. It might be loaded by the spring o or by a weight to a pressure approximately equal to or exceeding the maximum pressure which can be raised in the boiler. This would prevent all leakage of steam in the feed-water apparatus; but when the boiler-pressure was low there might be leakage of water into the boiler; but the amount so leaking into the boiler would probably be comparatively small and unimportant. There would, however, always be au unnecessary load upon the force-pump e.

What I claim is- 1. The combination of a steamboiler, a closed chamber outside the boiler at the same level as the level to which the boiler is to be kept filled with water and having its upper part connected by a pipe With the upper part of the boiler and its lower part by another pipe with the lower part of the boiler, a continuouslymoving plug, a cavity within it which by the plugs movement is brought alternately into the chamber'and into a second chamber kept filled with water, a force-pump supplying Water to this water-chamber and a loaded relief-valve by which excess of water delivered by the pump can pass away when the pressure within the water-chamber :is approximately the saine as or greater than the pressure in the boiler.

2. The combination of a steam-boiler, a closed chamber on the same level as the water iu the boiler, pipes connecting this chamber with the upper and lower parts of the boiler, a continuously-moving plug, a cavity within it which by the plugs movement is brought alternately into this 'chamber and into a second chamber kept filled with Water, a force-pump supplying water to this second chamber, a loaded relief-valve by which eX- cess of water delivered by the pump can pass away and a non-return valve to prevent water leaking back from the water-chamber when the pump is not working.

3. The combination of a steam-boiler, a

closed chamber on the same level as the wa- 9 ter in the boiler, pipes connecting this chamber with the upper and lower parts of the boiler, a continuously-moving plug, a cavity within it which bythe plugs movement is brought alternately into this chamber and into a second chamber kept filled with water, a force-pump supplying water to this second chamber, a relief-valve for allowing excess of water delivered by the pump to pass away held closed by the pressure of steam from the boiler but free to open when the pressure of water from the pump is approximately the same as or greater than the pressure in the boiler.

4. The combination of a steam-boiler, a closed chamber on the same level as the water in the boiler, pipes connecting this chamber with upper and lower parts of the boiler, a continuously-moving plug, a cavity Within it which by the plugs movement is brought alternately into this chamber and into a second chamber kept filled with water, a force- -pump supplying water to this second cham- IOO 

